An introduction to Basque aspiration: the contribution of onomastics

Abstract

In this article the authors first of all show the positions in which aspiration can appear within the word in Basque. Hereafter they explain which restrictions this sound is subject to and, after touching on the views of the few linguists for whom aspiration is not etymological and considering its non-random character as established, they make a list of the sources aspiration comes from. Subsequently they discuss its loss and consider to what extent the major Alavese toponymy, which is rich in hs, agrees or disagrees with the current data and with the various authors’ claims. A number of historical toponyms from Gipuzkoa and La Rioja that bear the grapheme are likewise taken into consideration. Finally, as a conclusion, the possibility is referred to of encompassing most of the developments that converge in aspiration in Basque into one and only phenomenon, as well as pointing out the importance of the use of onomastic, dialectal and typological data for the study of our language.

Keywords

• aspiration
• deaspiration
• Basque toponymy
• phonology
• typology
• history of the Basque language